Sanctuary - addressing mental health inequalities with asylum seekers and refugees in Scotland

摘要: This paper reports on a 4 year national action research initiative involving community-led focus group with asylum seekers and refugees, exploring mental health problems, stigma barriers to accessing services. Significant problems were experienced by arising from pre-migration trauma, the migration process, impact of uncertainty, isolation racism in host country. There range services, including accessibility community stigma, fear being deported upon disclosing problem, lack culturally sensitive services language issues. The study revealed initiatives tackle inequalities outlined promising approaches for both communities. also reviews series led interventions address these issues, practitioners, service users, communities academics: workshops practitioner awareness programme, narratives practitioners. These programmes are designed implemented activists partnership practitioners social work voluntary organisations delivered 250 workshop participants. will present findings consider implications practice. evaluation that within resulted increased willingness seek offer help support, less greater acceptance recovery. Practitioners reported an knowledge issues emotional engagement increase confidence skills. concludes highlighting importance understanding shaping refugees. It highlights value where statutory sector agencies.